Cold Fear, Warm Comfort
by Alice Madison Parker
Summary: After the death of her stalker, Adrienne Tran needs something to help her sleep. Steve/OC Fluffy, slight OOC


Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0, but I do own Adrienne Tran. I apologize for any OOC-ness out of Steve. If I ever get around to writing the story behind this one shot, I'll probably do my best to keep him in character. Also, fluff alert.

* * *

It was raining. Of course it was. Supposedly, rain was supposed to symbolize cleansing. That was good for the day of the death of Professor Peter Greensburg. Adrienne leaned against her front door and watched the rain fall. It was slightly chilly and yet, she didn't feel it. She felt empty. Again. She was always empty. Since hearing her friends die for her. Felt empty. Now, she shivered. She knew what awaited her tonight, the same that awaited her every night. Memories warped that left her screaming. To escape, she took to wandering the streets until she was too tired to dream.

Tonight it rained. If she walked tonight, she'd run the risk of becoming ill, but if she didn't, it would be a night of terror. She couldn't do things inside the house. She'd done that already in the first week. Her home was spotless, everything in their place, dishes cleaned, laundry laundered, books held no charm over her. If she sat and did nothing, she would fall asleep; she knew this already. All she had left was to walk. Walk until she didn't dream.

Slowly, she took her first steps off the porch, sandals sinking into the muddy grass. It wouldn't matter where she ended up. She always found her way home somehow.

* * *

Steve McGarrett popped open a beer and watched the waves crash from the dry comfort of his porch. Another day, another perp taken down. This one was personal, though. Not that the other cases weren't. In some sort of aspect, they were, but this one was more so. He was having a hard time justifying the kill shot, despite the obvious need to take down Greensburg. There was so much anger and dread when he saw the knife at Adrienne's throat. He could remember shouting something, then pulling the trigger.

There was a crash behind him and Steve crouched down out of habit. Setting his beer down and drawing his gun, he made his way towards the sound, checking each room on the bottom floor. It could have been someone to take revenge for earlier today. He flattened himself against the wall next to the front window. Last place to check. He pulled the curtain back and quickly holstered his gun when he saw who it was. While he was relieved that it wasn't someone to kill him, he was still concerned and his face openly expressed this concern when he opened the door to reveal a soggy Adrienne.

"Adrienne, what are you doing here?" Steve ushered her inside, checking the surrounding area. He noticed a broken ceramic pot on the front porch. So, that's what the sound was. Adrienne must have knocked it over somehow. Confirming that there were no threats outside, he closed and locked the door.

Adrienne stood where Steve pulled her, swaying on her feet a little. She looked around, disoriented. Where was she? Someone asked her something. That voice. Commander McGarrett? Is that where she was? Why had she come here? "Com - Commander?" Her voice came out soft, fragile, lost.

It was that sound that caused him to rush to her side, to take a good look at her, make sure she wasn't harmed. After this afternoon's incident, he wasn't sure what she'd do, but he knew the signs. Plus, he promised he'd protect her, didn't he? "Jeez, you're soaking. Why didn't you put on a jacket?" Not only that, but Adrienne had shown up on his doorstep in what looked like her pajamas. She must have been freezing. "Let me get you some dry clothes."

She nodded, slowly. Her brain was so foggy, she probably would have jumped off a cliff if someone told her to. Still, she tried to absorb as much as she could about where she was. His house was large for a person to live in by themselves, but she couldn't really judge. It was just a passing observation. Some of the paneling in the front looked new. What was the story behind that?

Steve suddenly appeared in front of her. Adrienne squeaked and jumped a few steps back, eyes sparking to life with wild terror, hands clutched together at her throat. He held up his hands non-threateningly and tried to reassure her. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. It's just me. It's okay." He kept one hand up and his eyes on hers as he bent down to pick up the clothes he dropped. "Here. You can go change in the bathroom over there. I'll wait for you. Right here. Okay?"

She nodded and reached out to take his offering, holding them tightly to her chest. She started to walk away when she realized that she was still wearing her sandals. Looking down, Adrienne noticed with a bit of horror that she had tracked mud inside. With a blush so startling pink against her pale cheeks, she slipped them off and practically ran to the bathroom.

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Why was he doing this? He should have driven her back to her house, not invited her in. That was still protecting her, wasn't it? But it wasn't. A part of him felt like he needed to physically be there with her to protect her. He and his team protected the state of Hawaii, but she was alone. Who did she have to protect her?

The bathroom door opened and Adrienne padded out and Steve couldn't help but smile at how tiny she looked in his clothes. It was hard to think of her as a twenty-four year old looking like that. His sweatpants were much too long for her, but she tried to roll them up with some success. The sleeves of his sweatshirt extended a few inches past the tips of her fingers, which she used to rub her eyes. She liked the smell of his sweatshirt, the smell of the ocean and something else. It was comforting. A feeling that had been eluding her for the past few weeks.

"Th-thank you. I hung my clothes up in there," she whispered, once she lowered her hands.

"It's okay. Come here." He opened his arm out to her and pulled her to the couch, sitting down next to her. She hugged her knees and leaned against him. He reached back and pulled a quilt around her, tucking her in. "So, why are you here?"

She blinked, gathering her thoughts. Exhaustion was tugging at her, making it hard to focus, which was definitely expected. Steve lived so far away from her. "I didn't want to dream. I - I walk every night until I sleep without dreams. I can still hear them screaming. I can hear the gun, the knife. I can see the blood. I did - didn't realize I had come here, Commander. I'm sorry to impose." Her words rushed out, voice crept higher, despite the exhaustion; her embarrassment giving her a small jolt of energy.

Steve wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. This must have been happening since that day. Why hadn't she said anything? She wasn't trained to compartmentalize, not like he was, not like his team was. "It's fine. Listen, just sleep. I'll keep watch."

Adrienne's eyes fluttered before closing. She didn't have the strength to fight him. Not now anyway. Her small speech zapped the rest of whatever she had left. She could make her apologies in the morning. Her voice was very faint when she said, "Thank you, Commander."

"Hey." She looked up at him, forcing her bleary eyes open. He smiled at the image of pure innocence. "It's Steve, okay?" he told her, tapping her chin with his knuckle. She smiled and nodded.

"Okay. Steve." She closed her eyes again and rested her head on his chest. Within the minute, she was sleeping deeply, a little hand clutching the top of the blanket together. Steve chuckled and shifted around until she was settled between his legs and he was stretched out along the length of the couch. He petted her hair a moment and kissed the top of her head. For now, at least, she could be safe. They could discuss things in the morning. He stroked her arm through the quilt, before falling asleep himself. Outside, the rain poured and the waves crashed and time moved forward, encasing the two in a bubble of comfort, a reward for a hard day's work.


End file.
